Asciano buyout gets ACCC clearance

The competition watchdog said it will not stand in the way of ports and transport operator Asciano being bought out by a global consortium, nor will it block Metcash's possible Home Timber & Hardware takeover.

"A broad range of issues were raised across different aspects of the supply chain," he noted in a statement.

"After careful consideration, the ACCC has concluded there is not likely to be a substantial lessening of competition in any market."

The ACCC's investigation looked at the import-export supply chain for containerised freight through the ports of Botany, Brisbane, Fremantle and Melbourne.

It asked whether the integration of Asciano's Patrick container terminals with Qube's road and rail container transport services and empty container parks would discriminate against Qube's competitors and cause a potential loss of business for rival stevedores.

Mr Sims said the ACCC identified several restrictions on the ability of Patrick to discriminate in favour of Qube trains at Botany port.

"The combined strength of these constraints has led us to conclude that the acquisition would not cause an increase in prices or a reduction in the quality of regional rail container export services to Port Botany," he said.

The takeover still needs the approval of the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB).

Asciano shares jumped on news of the ACCC's approval and were up 0.8 per cent to $9.12 at 11:00am (AEST).